26. Sorcha

Chapter twenty-six

We arrived to Thvetharion that night. Unlike the bright blues of Mertis and the leafy greens of Sobury, Thvetharion was all gray. Each building was made from colored stone, with large chimneys coming out of most. I recall reading Thvetharion did a lot of blacksmithing, not only providing weapons, but pans, utensils, anything you could think of. Even still, it all felt a bit drab.

Their castle wasn't much better. It was stone, with four watchtowers surrounding the four corners. I could see minotaurs sitting up there, crossbows at the ready. I leaned into Zarios. "They seem welcoming," I said.

He huffed. "Very."

When we stopped, Zarios got out first and helped me out. I took his hand and stepped down. There were a few minotaurs scattered around, all in leather armor, save for one. He had a light brown coat and short cut fringe. His eyes were worn on the sides, crinkling from age.

"Welcome, Grand Clarak Zarios," he said. He didn't even move to bow.

My eyes moved to Zarios, who didn't seem surprised. "Clarak Prator," he said. "Thank you for hosting. We appreciate the invitation."

"I appreciate you following the proper order of things," he said. His tone indicated it was a slight, but I wasn't sure how. "And this must be your intended?"

"Yes, Princess Sorcha Yulean," he introduced.

"A pleasure," I said, though the words felt like a lie.

"A human has a lot to prove here," he said to Zarios, talking as if I wasn't standing right there.

"Well, this human is perfectly comfortable doing so," I said pointedly.

I saw amusement glimmer in Zarios' eyes, but no such thing was found with Prator. "We will see. Come, get settled."

We followed him in. The place was dark and dreary, black chandeliers hanging from the ceilings but nothing else, not a painting to be found anywhere. There were almost no windows or any other source of light.

When we got to the rooms, they were the same, a single bed with dark sheets and a side table greeted us. "They seem more hospitable by the minute," I said, flopping onto the bed.

Zarios listened at the door for a moment before he rushed me. "I know this sounds outlandish, but I'm sure it's Prator."

I snorted. "You think? This whole place reads like an evil lair. But why didn't you tell me this before we left?"

He laughed darkly. "I wanted you to meet him before I gave you any preconceived notions. I wanted your initial reaction. I know we're used to sneaking around, but I want to find whatever evidence we can and leave as soon as possible. "

I nodded. For a moment, I worried he was leaving me out again, but his thought process made sense. "Then we'll have to be a bit more cunning," I said. A plan formed in my mind. It may have been a ridiculous one, but it was one that could work.

"I've got it."

"I still don't like this," Zarios said as he buckled his pants.

"Too bad," I said, hooking my larger dagger to my belt. I was meant to go totally unseen, so it didn't matter if I had it out.

"Go," I insisted. "I will be fine."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a quick kiss I wasn't expecting. "Come back in one piece, Princess," he said.

"Always."

With that, he left. I paced the room, nerves getting the best of me. I knew what I had to do. While Zarios went to speak with Prator, I would go to his office and find what we needed. There had to be some correspondence that would nail him. He was our last bet.

After about ten minutes, I had to assume it was safe. I slipped out and made my way to his office. Zarios had spent the last hour going over a map highlighting every nook and cranny of the castle. I knew the route I would take, and I had a backup if it didn't go to plan. The place was fairly empty, and in these back halls, it was even more silent.

I made it there without any issues. Though the door was locked, I pulled out my dagger and wiggled the lock open. It was only slightly damaged, and by the time someone noticed, we would be gone.

The office was thankfully empty. Compared to everything else, it was extravagant. Expensive art hung on the walls, and everything was lined in gold.

I searched through his drawers, careful to leave everything the way I found it before moving on. I found nothing more than documents about steel prices, a few collectible stamps, and a bottle of lotion next to some tissues that were both too empty for my liking.

I opened the left bottom row and realized the drawer inside appeared slightly smaller than the outside made it look. The only things inside were a few replacement pens and other office supplies. I wiggled around the drawer until I felt a small dent.

When I pulled on it the drawer open, the bottom fell out, and pieces of worn parchment fell from it. I lifted them and began sifting through the pile.

My eyes widened. This was basically a written confession, letters exchanged, talking about their plans and all the money associated. This proved that not only was Prator involved, but he had a partner. He never addressed them directly in the letters, but it would be easy enough to draw them out, though it may mean we stayed here a bit longer.

I slid them into my pack and put the bottom of the drawer back. As I was shutting the door, a key jammed into the lock. I looked around, coming up with a plan. I ran for the closet, closing the door most of the way behind me. It was cracked open when I went in, and I didn't want him to sense anything was off. Luckily, I'd messed the lock up enough to make the key hard to get in but not enough for him to notice, it seemed.

I tucked myself against the dark corner and waited. I even quieted my breathing, making myself undetectable.

"Damn Prator can't even afford a nice lock with all the money I've given him."

The door shut, and I recognized the voice immediately.

Damyr?

I stayed still as he rummaged a bit. It seemed he wasn't looking for the letters, but something else. Why would he be giving Prator money and shuffling through his office?

"Moons, you idiot," he grumbled to himself. "I give you one simple task, make sure they kill Naram. He couldn't even do that." He continued rummaging. "Fuck!" he shouted to no one. I forced myself not to jump.

"As soon as this bastard helps me end this, I'm ending him. I won't need him once I'm Grand Clarak." I had to suppress my gasp. Shit. Damyr was the partner.

"There you are," he said, fishing out something from the drawer. After finding whatever he was looking for, he left, but I saw a flash of him as he went, locking the door behind him.

Fuck, how was I going to tell Zarios?